Projects!

Over the past week and a half I have been sick. At first I thought it was a common cold--and at first it might have been. It evolved into possibly the worst sinus infection I've ever had. Both sides of my face are affected (eyes, ears, nose, throat, and general discomfort). Last Saturday I went to urgent care because I was feeling so cruddy and they gave me a steroid shot, antibiotic, nasal spray, and decongestant. I took the antibiotic/nasal spray/decongestant combination for a total of two days before my body just couldn't take it. I was vomiting, couldn't stay awake, exhausted, and couldn't function. Even my fingers weren't working properly. So, I have been just taking the antibiotic since and half a dose of nyquil at night to help me breathe through my nose and sleep. My body hates medications. I'm still on the antibiotic and I can't tell if my infection is getting better. I still feel really cruddy and generally out of it. I also had to call into work sick on a Saturday--possibly the worst day ever to do that. 

Monday was Amos' second birthday, so we had to spoil him and give the animals wet food and new toys. Amos loves annoying toys. So, we gave him one, he celebrated by being as obnoxious as possible with it:

Then on Tuesday we got that nasty ice storm. So, I had to cancel all of my classes for Tuesday night and we closed the store early. I didn't realize how chaotic closing early would be. Grooming had to call owners to come get their dogs, pet care had to take care of all the small animals early, etc. It was nuts. I am not looking forward to all the paperwork and rescheduling I am going to have to deal with today at work in addition to my classes. 

Here are some pics from the ice storm. That is what my car looked like when I got home. A thin coating of ice over the entire thing and my windshield looked like somebody spilled a snow cone on it.

 The house and yard didn't look much different. Everything was coated in white, so just looking at it you might think it is snow. There was no snow. It was all crunchy ice. TJ didn't have to go into work, luckily the base closed the roads to mission essential personnel only. It's a good thing, too. The roads were horrible. They do not have salt trucks down here, so it was slick and the only thing to do was wait for it to melt.

Before I got sick I was really ambitious with stuff I wanted to get done. I was hoping to get this house cleaned and give the dogs a bath. Neither has happened. Since I've been ill I've done the dishes only once and it was so exhausting I decided vacuuming wasn't an option. It's also been too cold for dog baths, so the dogs will just have to remain stinky until next week. I was also planning on getting quite a few sewing projects done (when I'm not sick I can get a couple done in a day--it turns out when sick I can get a couple done in a week) and some scrap-booking projects done. No scrap-booking has happened at all while I've been sick. 

I did manage to get a few things done, though. Not nearly as much as I planned, but some is better than none. I found a use for some of my fleece remnants: a cat sack. I found the pattern here. Hancockfabics.com has quite a few free projects/patterns on it. Here is the finished cat sack, and the cat happily hiding inside it: 

I have also made a shirt! I know it doesn't seem that exciting, but I am trying to learn how to read patterns and sew my own clothing. I realized quickly that patterns are confusing, I messed up not once but twice while sewing it. I then messed it up further when ripping out seams by ripping some small holes in it. As a result, I have a new appreciation for YouTube videos, since I am definitely a visual learner. In addition to the small holes from the seam ripper, I sewed the neck too tight and the sleeves a little snug. I am not particularly happy with the shirt, but I am cutting myself some slack since it is my first time sewing with such a stretchy fabric, my first time sewing an article of clothing without my mom's help, and my first time attempting to use one of those thin, confusing patterns. As a result, I have a shirt I can wear as a pajama top or to workout in. It definitely has too many issues for me to feel comfortable wearing it in public, though. Too many uneven seams holes, and minor problems. But, I sewed a shirt!  I likely need to sew a lot more clothing patterns as practice before I make anything I'm particularly proud of, but everybody's got to start somewhere.